Gandhi clan converges on Uttar Pradesh

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Last Updated: Thu, Nov 08, 2012 11:37 hrs

Lucknow: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son party general secretary Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Vadra were Thursday touring Uttar Pradesh's Amethi-Rae Bareli area, a rare gathering of the Gandhi family in what is seen as their pocket borough.

While the UPA chairperson arrived in her parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli Wednesday, Rahul, who represents Amethi in parliament, and Priyanka arrived separately Thursday.

Congress office bearers said Sonia Gandhi was on a two-day tour, while Rahul was on a one-day visit during which he would interact with local leaders and hold a 'class' of party workers.

According to Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Sonia Gandhi was slated to meet people at the Bhuemau guest house in Rae Bareli Thursday evening and would take part in a district development review meeting after which she would leave for New Delhi.

Her daughter Priyanka would be interacting with the people and party workers on her two-day trip to Rae Bareli and was expected to take stock of the measures undertaken by the party to liven up the party's organisational structure at the grassroots level.

Amethi and Rae Bareli are about 60 km from each other.

Rahul Gandhi will meanwhile meet a group of women at a training centre, working under the Rajiv Gandhi Women's Development Project at Jayas, after which he would attend a party function at Jagdishpur.

The arrival of the Gandhi trio has spurred party workers who see this visit as their attempt to not only get a sense of what people feel in the two Lok Sabha constituencies but also to fast track preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Despite the presence of the Gandhi family in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the party was routed in the area in the state assembly elections.